I regularly browse eBay, Vinted or Willhaben in search of retro computing/gaming hardware. Whenever I come across an Atari 2600 that's listed as "non-working" or "untested" (usually mean non-working as well) I just can't resist and have to buy and try to fix it.

That's why my desk looks like this on a regular basis.

One thing I often do after a successful repair attempt, is adding a composite video mod to these consoles (as described here or here). I typically resell the repaired consoles and many people nowadays have no use for (or don't understand) the RF cable.

The simplest video mod consists just of a couple of resistors and a transistor. I used to make these mod myself on a piece of perfboard but it just doesn't look as nice as an actual printed circuit board (PCB).

Working with PCBWay

This is where PCBWay came in. I had already come across their existing Atari 2600 composite mod board design in their community repository, so I reached out and they were kind enough to sponsor a batch of PCBs for this project.

The ordering process is really straightforward: I simply uploaded the provided Gerber files, selected a green soldermask with standard HASL finish, and placed the order. PCBWay kept me updated during the production process, and the boards shipped faster than I expected. Even though this batch was sponsored, the regular pricing for a set of small boards like this is very reasonable, especially if you're assembling several mods at once.

And I think the result speaks for itself! I was genuinely impressed by the quality. The soldermask was clean, the silkscreen sharp, and all the holes and pads were perfectly aligned. Even the tiny component labels were crisp and easy to read - which makes assembly much quicker when you're building several identical mods in a row.

What I especially like about this mod is that it can be soldered directly to the 5 pin header where the RF box was previously connected. That way it becomes an integral part of the 2600's mainboard.

So there I went, fixed up this bunch of Atari 2600s, installed the video mods and got rid of the chaos on my desk.